


Three Strikes

by nanasekei



Series: Happy Steve Bingo Fills [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Flustered Steve Rogers, M/M, Pining, Supersoldier strength
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-30 02:54:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16756492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanasekei/pseuds/nanasekei
Summary: Steve got used to his new strength very easily, post-serum.It was very strange, but he had a lot of training to help him. It actually took more time for him to get used to his new perfect posture and flawless breathing – sometimes, when he’s nervous, he still expects to feel out of air at any moment.The strength was simple, though. Steve learned to keep himself under control and to hold things very carefully.Most of the time.





	Three Strikes

**Author's Note:**

> For my "Supersoldier strength" square on my Happy Steve Bingo Card. Thanks to Sheron for the beta!

Steve got used to his new strength very easily, post-serum.

It was very strange, but he had a lot of training to help him. It actually took more time for him to get used to his new perfect posture and flawless breathing – sometimes, when he’s nervous, he still expects to feel out of air at any moment.

The strength was simple, though. Steve learned to keep himself under control and to hold things very carefully.

Most of the time.

* * *

 

It took a while for Steve to get used to Tony Stark.

That seems to be the case for most people, to be honest. Tony is immediately off-putting with his wittiness and rudeness, and the people who aren’t charmed by him tend to dislike him a lot.

To be fair, it took a while for Tony to get used to _Steve_ , too. There’s just this constant tension between them, born on the helicarrier and never really fading. Tony gets pissed off at what he perceives to be Steve’s self-righteousness and stoniness; Steve gets pissed off at Tony’s irresponsible and often insulting behavior. That’s just how things between them work, for the most part.

It’s especially strange now, because, although the tension hasn’t entirely faded, Steve can’t help but notice a lot of positive things about Tony. Tony is the brightest person Steve has ever known – not just the smartest, _the brightest,_ in every possible sense of the word. His presence is electric, and for Steve, who still has such a hard time connecting to the place and time he finds himself at now, Tony being around makes it easier to focus on reality, to really find his footing in the present. Even fighting with him helps, though Steve wouldn’t ever admit that.

There’s other things, too – like how Tony is a bit of a walking contradiction. He’s an egocentric douche, but he’s the most generous person Steve’s ever met, and not just with money. Sometimes his generosity shows through endless quips to relax Bruce after a hulk-out; or when he is stopped by someone on the street to take a picture and ends up agreeing to write them a recommendation letter. He is always ready to discuss with Steve ways to improve the team’s tech, but sometimes he’ll do something like adding a new setting on the microwave just so Thor can eat something that resembles Asgardian cooking. Regardless of how, Tony gives and gives and gives, and Steve admires that.

And Tony is... good looking. That’s – well, that’s nothing new, Steve supposes, if those  _Sexiest Man Alive_ covers Tony has framed on his walls are anything to go by. Tony is objectively an attractive man, and he doesn’t pretend to not know that.

It stands to reason, then, that he wouldn’t mind if others – Steve – were also aware of it.

And sometimes Steve just gets... Very, very aware of it.

* * *

 

To use an expression that would have made Bucky roll his eyes at him: it happens in three strikes.

* * *

 

Strike one happens because Clint breaks his bow in two during training. Steve, not wanting him to stop his spar with Natasha, offers to take it to Tony in the garage.

When he gets there, everything is a mess, and Tony is under one of his cars. Jarvis announces his arrival, and Tony rolls out.

He’s wearing a tank top. His arms are on display, glistening with sweat, and he absent-mindedly wipes his hands on a handkerchief, taking oil stains off his fingers. His hair is a complete mess as he looks at Steve and raises an eyebrow.

Steve clenches his hands so hard he breaks the pieces of Clint’s bow.

* * *

 

Strike two happens because Steve has a late meeting with Fury that causes him to miss one of the Maria Stark Foundation galas.

When Steve gets home, he goes to the kitchen to grab a snack, and, when he decides to search for some fruit on the fridge, Tony comes inside.

Steve is expecting him to be in a suit, like he’s seen countless times before. And, to be fair, he is – a nice, definitely very expensive two-piece black suit with a red tie. But his jacket is off, and he’s wearing a crisply white button-down. His tie is loosened at his neck, hanging lazily right at his collar, and the first few buttons of his shirt are open, giving a glimpse of tan skin tinged by the faint blue glow of the reactor. His hair is combed back and his hands are distractedly undoing his cuffs.

Steve breaks the fridge’s door.

* * *

 

Strike three happens because... Well, because the universe hates Steve, he supposes.

It’s entirely by coincidence that he runs into a drunk Tony in the living room. Tony rarely gets drunk anymore, so Steve is immediately concerned, and he asks Tony if he needs anything.

Tony opens his mouth as if he’s about to answer, but instead he stumbles forward, and Steve grabs his elbow to guide him towards the couch.

Steve helps Tony sit down, listening to him rambling about what seems to have been a very serious fight between him and Pepper. He moves to stand up to get Tony some water, and then Tony just tackles him.

“Wait, don’t go,” he asks, arms hugging Steve’s waist, body nestling against his, resting his head at Steve’s shoulder. He nuzzles Steve’s collar a little and Steve’s breath hitches. “God, you smell so good, I hate my life. Please stay.”

Steve, hesitantly, lets Tony hug him, laying his arms awkwardly at his sides, one of them over the armrest. Tony shifts until he’s basically in Steve’s lap.

“You’re so warm. How is this possible? Does your body overcompensate because it thinks it’s still frozen? No, that doesn’t make any sense,” Tony babbles as if he’s thinking out loud. His voice sounds low and slurred, sending shivers over Steve’s spine. He keeps nuzzling, and his nose brushes Steve’s skin and he sighs. “Pep’s right, I’m such a fucking coward. Just – stay a little bit longer, ok? Just, please, please, don’t leave.”

Steve doesn’t. But he breaks the armrest.

* * *

 

After strike three, Steve is defeated in the face of logic. He wakes up next morning with Tony still on his lap, and, in the middle of attempting to get off the couch without waking him up, it hits him: he’s in love with Tony.

It’s one of those immediate, impossible to argue with epiphanies that in retrospect are so obvious you can’t understand why it took you so long to get it. In a way, it’s like Steve has just realized the sky is blue.

As time goes by, Steve considers his options.

The last thing he wants is to make Tony uncomfortable. He also doesn’t want to get in the way of his relationship with Pepper, but, after a few weeks, it becomes clear that their last fight was a definitive one. Which means Tony is single. Which means his only reason to reject going out with Steve is – well, if he doesn’t want to go out with Steve.

And Steve doesn’t want to mess up their relationship or the team. Still, though, he can’t help but think of the way Tony clung to him that night, of his drunk voice whispering Steve felt warm and smelled good and how he, Tony, was such a coward.

Steve doesn’t want to cling to hope, but.

It’s hard not to.

The thought stays with him for a while. A month passes, and then it’s Valentine’s Day, and, well, the opportunity is _right there_ for Steve to do something, and he figures if he can jump out of a plane without a parachute, asking Tony on a date should be a piece of cake.

It isn’t. When Steve finally stops running through possible speeches in his head, the door to Tony’s workshop opens, and Steve feels like a complete idiot standing there with a box of chocolates in his hands.

Tony’s eyes widen when he sees him. “What are you doing here?”

Steve runs through several possible reasonable options in his head, including _What are you doing tonight_ and _Happy Valentine’s Day._

What comes out of his lips is: “I’m in love with you.”

Tony stares at him, mouth opening and closing several times before he says: “You’re— _What?_ ”

Jumping out of a plane without a parachute was not only easier, Steve thinks – he probably did it more smoothly.  He swallows. “I’m in love with you. I felt like you should know.” His hands are shaking right now, and he tries his best to not drop the chocolates. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. If you want to, I can—“

“Oh my God, are you serious?” Tony takes a step forward, eyes wide and bright meeting Steve’s. “You’re—Holy shit, you’re serious.”

Steve takes a sharp breath. “Again,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady. “I don’t want to—“

“Oh my God, shut up.” Tony takes another step, and now he’s in Steve’s personal space and his hands go to his face. “You—God, I—I hope you really mean this,” he stutters, and Steve opens his mouth to reply but he’s interrupted by the frantic press of Tony’s lips.

Technically, Steve knows it’s not possible to spend days kissing someone, but that’s how it feels, like time just stops and he spends weeks doing nothing other than tasting Tony’s mouth. Tony’s lips are warm, his goatee is prickly and Steve feels his heart rushing in his chest at every kiss. Tony holds his face and smiles against his mouth, kisses growing deeper, stealing every breath out of Steve’s lungs.

Steve mushes the chocolates between his hands, but it's okay. Tony doesn’t mind his strength.

(Later, when they’re in his bedroom, Steve finds out Tony quite likes it.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos warm my heart. If you want to, you can reblog the post here.


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